Tiger Woods's roller-coaster ride at the U.S. Masters continued on Saturday as the world number one tumbled down the leaderboard.

In search of his third green jacket in four years, it has been a stomach-churning three-days of hair-raising highs and lows for Woods, who will enter Sunday trailing the co-leaders Chris DiMarco and Phil Mickelson by nine shots after firing a third round three-over 75.

Having hauled his way back into contention with a second-round 69 after opening with an out-of-sorts 75, Woods stepped onto the first tee on Saturday poised to make one of his patented charges but instead flirted with his worst round ever as a professional at Augusta.

After 14 holes a bewildered Woods, a look of anguish now permanently etched on his famous face, was reeling from the effects of four bogeys and a double bogey.

The 28-year-old American, however, remained unbowed, two birdies from the last four holes breathing a bit of life into his fading hopes.

But if Woods is to add a ninth major to his collection it will require a record breaking performance at Augusta. No golfer has ever erased a nine-shot deficit in the final round to lift the title.

"I just need to go out there and get off to a good, solid start on the front nine," said Woods. "If I can get even or under par going into the back nine, I'm right in the ball game because as we know anything can happen on the back nine here.

LOW NUMBER

"You can shoot yourself a really low number and hopefully I can do that tomorrow. You know, anything can happen."

Woods was reminded of that truism on Saturday as he plodded through his round.

He dropped a shot at the first after finding a fairway bunker off the tee before hitting back with a birdie-four at the 575-yard second.

However, he bogeyed the par-three sixth, where he overhit the green, and another bogey followed at the par-four ninth as he slipped back to two over.

Woods unhappily double-bogeyed the par-five 13th and also dropped a shot at the par-four 14th before a two-putt birdie on 15 left him at four over.

"I was just a little off, I made nothing today...I just didn't make putts," said Woods. "It's frustrating because I'm so close to putting it together.

"But on the golf course if you're just a little off you're going to pay the price."

He added: "I have 18 more chances at it and hopefully I will putt better than I did today."